We were lucky to catch up with Erin Black recently and have shared our conversation below.
Erin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
No guts, no glory, right? Being raised in dusty south Georgia and having two older siblings that were prevalent closed some opportunities but made me realize that I have to think out of the box when it comes to being recognized for who I am, acknowledging all of this in my adolescence. I couldn’t talk to others; some couldn’t hold a normal small talk conversation without me being consistently referred to them when people saw me, leaving me thinking, Does any know my name? As I stayed hidden from the world, Social media was evolving into something where you can connect with the world, with Snapchat improving my social skills and Instagram being the home of something so small yet glorious, Kiderin. Kiderin was a page I started in middle school that attracted thousands of people who thought I was hilarious and a genuine person. My page blew up so much that people in school started calling me, Kiderin. It was like the whole world was chanting my name instead of naming me someone else for relevance. It was like the meaning and effort I put in paid off.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
Well, for starters, I am the youngest of the family, so it always felt like I was being watched yet quiet at all times. Most of my family can tell you that I stood out. Only because I didn’t think or act like most kids when I was that age. Maybe when I was about ten, some were with their friends hanging out. I was thinking about what to do after high school. I didn’t have friends to have fun with, so you can say I watched my two older siblings. Watching them made me think ahead because these were questions they had to answer within a couple of years while I had several, but even when my time came to graduate, I still didn’t know what to do. I got into the production industry by taking a risk. My parents urged me to go to college, at their expense, not to follow the trend of not doing anything with my time or having something to fall on. I chose to go to Full Sail University for a bachelor’s degree in Show Production, where I would spend countless nights focalizing my skills in camera operating, lighting designing, video directing, and even console switching. All of this was not easy at all. I had only a few prior experiences with anything in production. It was so tough. I almost stopped going because I needed to learn how the production industry worked. In reality, I was scared to take chances and ask questions in front of people who knew what was happening. I learned fast when I had my first gig and saw the kind of pace everyone was working. Seeing all that, I went back to class to show off what I saw on a freelance gig, and they cheered me. I’m most proud of the commitment and everything that happened because it showed that risk-taking ignites a passion and has made for a glorious journey since I started Kiderin, then transformed into Kiderin Production LLC.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The process of making something you vividly thought of and turning it into reality is quite the feeling. I sometimes will dwell on something I thought of and will never go through with it completely, leaving it as is, but when I take my time and put my creativity and effort toward anything, the outcome will definitely leave some impressed. So seeing someone’s natural reaction, hearing what can be improved, and catching the small things is a rewarding feel and experience. You can say I treasure constructive feedback.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I had this maturing type pivot happen in my life about four years ago when I was about six months into college, and I wasn’t taking any of it seriously until I felt like I needed to drop out. I was on break from class and sitting in my car, about to cry because I felt lost. As if I didn’t belong here at all. I spent the whole day telling myself if I had these feelings about something, I should take advantage of my situation and take those same risks that got me there in the first place. It was like something snapped, and I realized I got myself into this; I could get myself out. It definitely made a glorious story for me to tell!
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